Encoded, Book One: Demons
by JohnnyBoyF
Summary: 365-years after a devastating war, the Digital World is still dealing with the aftermath. When an unknown group of humans calling themselves The Dark Masters inexplicably appear with strange digivices and powerful partners, a new group of DigiDestined is called to the Digital World to solve the mystery behind their appearance and prevent their dangerous goal.
1. Foretelling

_"__Create the apocalypse and commence the war of three.  
Surviving demons breach black infinity. _  
_Boundaries falter as tamers invade _  
_and save the world at the gods dismay. _  
_Gate be broken and mend the minds. _  
_Family fates are entwined. _  
_World against world in the name of home. _  
_Lest Analogue die while Digital roam."_

\- Shakamon


	2. Prologue

There is an emptiness which expands for eternity. A cosmic vastness locked outside the realms of Digital and Analogue. Within this dismal dimension exists one thing: a prisoner. Somber solitude leaves the prisoner with its thoughts as the only company and voice as the only sound. For the lone inhabitant, all time spent trapped within the confined infinite has given way to the repeating daydream of revenge against those who locked it inside this wretched realm. Plotting scenario after scenario, scheming battle upon battle, every possible way to annihilate enemies crossed their mind. Yet the prisoner remains without a solution. Without one means of escape, this digimon would spend forever in isolated contemplation.

But now there is something new to contemplate: the first sound in seeming eternity to be produced in this dimension by other than the lonely denizen. It was similar to a pop, yet it also echoed a chime. Was it imagined? An illusion of a failing mind?

"Incredible…. You're-" A metallic claw on the end of a double helix chain swiftly traveled the space between the two digimon and clasped around the intruder, preventing all movement. The intruder could barely make out the face of this dimension dweller, but the polyhedron body was unmistakable. It spoke with a raspy voice.

"How did you enter this prison?"

"I am Parallelmon," the intruder spoke. "I developed the ability to jump across dimensional walls. I ended up here in attempt to jump somewhere new."

If Parallelmon were to jump through dimensions in that moment, the prisoner digimon would lose any chance of escape. They conjured the dark energy of the dimension around them, projecting the energy into the consciousness of Parallelmon. Sensations of dread and grief overwhelmed the sanity of Parallelmon, plunging him into a depression unlike any experienced in his life thus far. The digimon willed the energy further into Parallelmon's psyche, burrowing as deep as possible to ensure success as Parallelmon yelled in agony. With his willpower diminished, a psionic link formed between the two.

"You will assist in my escape," the raspy voice sounded distant to Parallelmon.

A Tsukaimon appeared in the darkness and bounced down the extended arm of the digimon, making way to Parallelmon.

"Absorb this data to declare your commitment to me."

Parallelmon watched the Tsukaimon descend the long arm, getting closer with every little hop produced by the short legs.

"Absorbing the data of another digimon has been prohibited in the Digital World since the time of your imprisonment. However-". Parallelmon looked into the vacant, soulless eyes of the Tsukaimon that was now perched merely a foot away. "-that has yet to stop me. _Absorbent Bang!_" A fanged tendril fired from Parallelmon's single eye and pierced through the Tsukaimon's head, vaporizing the small digimon into a cloud of data particles. Parallelmon allowed his body to take in the particles; glowing faintly as the absorption coursed through its body to enhance the natural abilities.

The metallic claw released Parallelmon and retracted to its host body.

"How did you obtain your power?" the raspy voice was as clear as before.

"In the Ancient Digital World, digimon were allowed to become anything they wanted," Parallelmon responded. "Becoming a god was dependent only by determination. I learned how to hop between dimensions during my time in Witchelny. However, what they taught is only useful for pocket dimensions. I want to breach every border, peek into every dimension, and be a god to those without one!"

"Freedom…" The raspy voice spoke the word with such longing. Sorrow permeated throughout the tense atmosphere. "Get me out of here and together we will return the Digital World to the glory of ancient times, with you as the god of dimensions."

"I am honored by your request for my ability. However," Parallelmon continued, "I fear no matter how many digimon I absorb, it would be impossible to breach you out of this prison-dimension".

Were it not for the distance between them, Parallelmon would have been able to make out the wicked smile that stretched across the grey flesh.

"I have spent the uncountable amount of time of my imprisonment formulating variants of my liberation; none of which were as straightforward as being merely carried out of this wretched place. What follows now must be carried out methodically, delicately. Lest worse fates befall us than imprisonment within a void. You are destined to alter the fate of the Digital World, Parallelmon, and this is the genesis. Follow my instructions carefully and we will crumble the pillars of both worlds! Bring me humans with darkened hearts."

* * *

"_Attention passengers we are beginning our descent. At this time we ask that you return your seats to their upright positions and put up your trays. Please remain in your seats until the light indicates that you are free to move about the cabin. We will soon be landing at Kansai International Airport. The local time is 2:25 in the afternoon with clear skies allowing for a wonderful day of sightseeing. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Japan and thank you for flying with-"_

"Excuse me sir, can you open up the window cover please?" Joey put on the most pleading face he could muster, which worked as the elderly Japanese man occupying the window seat begrudgingly complied. Joey's eyes took a moment to adjust to the sudden sunlight flooding the cabin. The sight of the Osaka cityscape across the bay was more astonishing to Joey than he could have anticipated - buildings reaching for the heavens as vehicles maneuvered between them. Joey could make out castles and parks and shrines and a Ferris wheel. As his eyes watered, Joey clutched the small glass vial hanging from his necklace, rubbing his thumb over it before whispering to himself, _"_I made it_". _

Exiting the arrival section wheeling his two suitcases behind him, one in each hand as his backpack's strap slowly slid down his left shoulder, Joey surveyed the area looking for a particular collective of foreigners. Every person's face was distinguished inside the brightly illuminated airport terminal, but with all the people muttering about, finding specific individuals was beginning to seem like too difficult a task.

Joey swung his luggage around to a nearby support pillar to get out of the traffic. Kneeling down, he searched through the papers of his backpack to find the sheet detailing instructions upon arrival. According to the directions, Joey was in the proper location and within the requested window of arrival time….

"Are you here for the study abroad program?"

Joey replied with a frantic "Yes!" just as quickly as he whipped his head around to stare at the Japanese girl looking at him with a welcoming smile.

"I could tell by your lost expression," she said with a small giggle. "Everyone else is next to the windows." Joey's gaze followed to where she was pointing directly at a large group of obviously foreign students. Impossible to miss.

"Let me carry this for you". It was more of a command than asking for permission. Before Joey could get back on his feet, the girl had already grasped the handle of the heavier suitcase, wheeled it to her side, and was walking toward the group of students. Leaving Joey stumbling to follow behind.

Twenty-three young adults, each carrying a variety of suitcases and bags, clustered together by the large windows overlooking the outside of the terminal. Some sat in the few surrounding chairs while the unlucky ones sat on the floor, but all of them looked as tired and grimy from their flights as Joey felt from his. Amongst the students stood one middle-aged man, equipped with a briefcase and a clipboard in hand, who turned to the approaching pair.

"You must be Joey Irving. Hope your flight was good. You're actually the last person to arrive, so now that we are all here...". Joey felt a twinge of embarrassment for being the last person to arrive. He noticed small pods have already been formed within the group, indicating he must have missed some crucial off-the-bat bonding.

The older man introduced himself as Jack, the study abroad program's sight director and events coordinator, before asking that Joey give a quick introduction to his fellow student's.

"In Japanese!" Jack exclaimed with a loud laugh.

"I mean… I can," Joey replied with too much confidence. Hopefully it did not come across as too eager to show off his proficiency, but Jack dismissed the offer to let him know that speaking in English was good enough.

While on the plane Joey rehearsed his introduction over a dozen times, and over two-dozen times in Japanese, but after he gave his name and home university, his mind went blank. He stood unable to think of any interesting facts about himself or his hobbies, aspirations, reason for studying abroad. Nothing but an uncomfortable laugh.

Saving everyone, Jack stepped up to say "Don't worry about spilling everything so soon. You all will have plenty of time to get to know each other over the next semester starting tonight when I take you all out to Gion - which is an amazing historical district in Kyoto with great bars - but first, I have buses waiting to take us all up to Kyoto, so let's all go load them up!"

Joey's bag had been left by his side as the girl went to help other students collect themselves for migrating to the buses. As Joey resituated his backpack and luggage, he quietly appreciated Jack's infectious excitement being able to overshadow his own nervousness. Jack lead the group outside as Joey shuffled into the middle of the line without any icebreakers in mind intended for those around him

* * *

After making sure every student had their belongings and that no one was being left behind, Aya tailed the back of the line where two girls resumed their discussion of anime. Eventually realizing that the two were sharing various information and details about Detective Conan, Aya interjected with "Detective Conan is very popular in Japan - I see advertisements everywhere! Even clothing stores here in Osaka sell merchandise."

The two girls were not upset in the slightest that she interrupted their conversation. Aya had a small feeling that it was a discussion they have had before.

"A hat would be so cute!" replied the girl whose bag is covered with anime pins.

"They probably sell a lot of those in Hokuei. Hokuei is a town in-"

"Tottori. We know. We already have a plan to visit before classes start."

Aya did not feel confident that any interesting facts she could muster about the popular franchise would be new to these two girls, so she settled to interject when she felt it appropriate while doing her best to match their enthusiasm.

The conversation continued as the group exited the airport terminal and trailed to the loading zone for buses, where one lone bus sat in waiting. Aya excused herself from the current conversation before rejoining with Jack to help load the luggage onto the bus. Loading one suitcase at a time in tandem with Jack and the bus driver, they were making quick work of the back-breaking luggage - some of the bags must have barely passed the airline weight restrictions. After not too long, everyone's belongings were neatly, yet tightly, secured in the compartments on the lower section of the bus.

The students inside the bus sat quietly, save for a couple of scattered conversations. Aya could still hear the two girls discussing anime. She stood next to Jack at the front in anticipation for the upcoming speech.

"Welcome to Japan everyone," Jack started off with a big smile. "This bus is going to take us to our hotel in Kyoto, which is about an hour and a half drive or so. Gion is the nightlife district of Kyoto that blends modern drinking bars and clubs with old-style pubs. This is where geishas and maikos live - I have a planned event for tonight where we get to have dinner with a geisha as part of your welcome weekend! We will talk about this more after getting set up at the hotel, so for now I will let Aya talk more about herself." Jeff motioned for the attention to shift to Aya before taking his seat.

"Hello everyone. My name is Aya Okudera. I am a student at Kyoto University of Foreign Studies and part of the foreign aid office at the university, which means I will be your go-to person for questions and help during your semester here. As Jack said, we planned events for this weekend as part of your welcome experience, starting off with a scavenger hunt around Gion after checking in at the hotel. I am excited to meet each of you and help you have a great time in Kyoto."

* * *

Royce placed his duffel bag in the overhead area before taking the window seat and setting his backpack on the floor between his legs. Taking a seat in the front while everyone piled into the back of the bus should hopefully leave him with an empty adjacent seat. The flight to Japan left him in need of a shower and a nap which he intended to have on this bus ride. Pulling out his phone and a pair of wireless earbuds, Royce figured some lo-fi hip-hop would do the trick to put him to sleep.

To his slight irritation, a girl took the seat on this left.

"Hi, I'm Milo," she said, irritating Royce further. It is universally understood that if someone has earbuds in, they do not want to talk.

"Royce. Nice to meet you," he said with a half-assed charming smile but kept his earbuds in. He turned his attention back to his phone.

"Pretty exciting, right? I've never been to Japan, have you?"

"No, I haven't. I'm sure I'll have loads of fun here, but right now I would prefer to sleep. So if you don't mind ..." Royce hardly waited for a response. His eyes glanced to the person passing by on his way down the aisle, recognising the final student to arrive in Japan. Dark brown hair that is obviously well-treated, a smooth complexion with a small amount of faded freckles on his nose that extended onto his cheeks, a figure as though no ounce of fat exists below his neck - all the features of a type of person that others naturally flock to. The two of them made eye contact and, assessing from the expression on Joey's face, Royce wondered if he heard what was just said to Milo.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, Royce pressed play on his phone as the girl next to him fumbled around in her own backpack.

Before the first song would finish, Royce was interrupted by the distinctly excitable voice of Jack going over what to expect for the upcoming weekend. As he passed off the attention to Aya, Royce noticed a sketchpad in the lap of the girl next to him. A beautifully sketched bird takes up the majority of the page with trees and stray feathers decorating the border of the page, an impressive piece that only a very talented artist could have created.

"That's very good," Royce said to her in a hushed voice. She responded with a solemn "Thanks" without looking in Royce's direction. Must be one of those shut-in types who prefer to draw rather than interact with people.

Royce fell asleep before Aya finished talking. For an hour his sleep was as undisturbed as he hoped for, until the bus pulled to a stop outside the hotel, effectively rustling Royce awake. He lifted his backpack from the floor, grabbed his duffel bag from the overhead, and shuffled off the bus into the growing crowd of students idle in the narrow street.

Royce hated waiting. Swaying from foot to foot, making exaggerated sighs, drumming his fingers across the suitcases. He had nothing to do while Jack and Aya were checking in with the hotel.

Just as Royce was getting used to dallying, the two exited the building and began passing out room assignments and discussing the details of the scavenger hunt.

"Can I shower?" Royce asked with a blunt tone, interrupting Jack's advice regarding navigation and transportation. He looked slightly taken aback, but composed himself with a smile before answering. "Technically the scavenger hunt is optional - just a time filler and fun way to familiarize yourself with Kyoto before I take everyone out tonight."

"Great," Royce mumbled as he carried his luggage into the hotel. He checked the slip of paper to confirm his room number and door code, and continued into the elevator heading to the fifth floor.

After inputting the code to unlock the door, Royce examined the room. Two futons were laying next to each other on an elevated tatami floor, blankets and pillows were folded and placed on top. Next to the door stood a cabinet with a shelf large enough to hold two suitcases. A large window replaced nearly the entire wall on the opposite side of the room.

No TV, no bathroom, no minifridge.

Royce collected his toiletries, fresh clothes, then exited the hotel room.

Down the hall, Royce discovered that the toilets were separated between the sexes, yet the showers across the hall were communal. Then he discovered that the showers were each enclosed in a cramped space consisting of a standing area for drying and the shower itself behind another door. Unaccustomed to the confines of Japanese washrooms, Royce repeatedly bumped into the walls. He took his time in the shower, hoping the hot water would wash away more than bodily oils. This building frustration was not going to ruin the remaining first day in Japan.

When Royce exited the shower area, after drying off and changing into new clothes, he could hear another shower running. This next step would need to be done quickly.

He claimed a sink in the open area outside the showers and quickly rummaged through his toiletry bag. Without taking anything out of the bag, Royce applied the correct amount of foundation to his blending sponge. He didn't need long, just enough time to cover up the redness around his nose, the darkness under his eyes, correct the uneven tone near the hairline, pat onto the eyelids to make sure the color correction is all over, and blend into the neck.

While his eyes never left his face, his ears were on high alert for any indication of someone approaching. The running shower produced the majority of what Royce could hear, causing him to worry that he may not be aware of anyone coming towards the washrooms.

He returned the makeup sponge to his toiletries bag the instant he finished applying. Without wasting a second, Royce grabbed the eyebrow pencil and began swiftly, yet carefully, filling in his brows. With his motions expertly operating on muscle memory, Royce was finished within a minute. Next, he picked out the container of sculpting gel. With the hard part over, Royce relaxed a little. No one would question him styling his hair into a messy-and-manageable look.

The shower stopped running just as Royce finished up, prompting him to collect all his belongings and hurry back to the hotel room.

As he lounged on the tatami mat, Royce pondered how he was going to waste time until the evening. He certainly wasn't going to do a scavenger hunt as though a child. Maybe just walk around on his own and buy some clothes. His planning was cut off as the rooms door opened and Royce's roommate walked in.

Royce was stupefied by the toned body entering through the door as only a towel concealed the lower half. He ripped his gaze away from the exposed torso to make eye contact, for apparently the second time.

"Hey! I'm Joey. Your roommate," said the damp young adult with a charming smile. "You want to join me for the scavenger hunt? I'm getting ready to head out and would love the company."

Royce stammered, stuttered, and stalled. He needed to compose himself before the situation turned awkward.

"Sounds great," Royce replied.

* * *

Milo had her belongings placed in the cabinet while leaving a considerable amount of space for the belongings of her roommate - if she had one. She hoped that her roommate would appear at any moment and they would go on the hunt together. It's been over ten minutes the door has remained undisturbed. Looks like she will be alone on this small adventure. After grabbing a bandana to put over her braids, Milo headed for cafe that she noticed downstairs.

Everything on the cafe's menu sounded delicious, making a decision very difficult for Milo. From familiar sandwiches to small fruits, coffee and juices, even ice-cream. What if Milo ordered one of everything?

"I recommend a light snack with yogurt on the side for your stomach," a voice called out to Milo, effectively startling her. She turned around to see Aya sitting at a nearby table close to the large windows spanning the walls; a bowl of cereal on the table, and the tiniest suitcase Milo has ever seen by her leg.

"Y-yeah. Good idea," Milo replied. Well shit, now she _has_ to a light snack and yogurt. She doesn't even like yogurt.

After getting her small meal, she joined Aya by the windows. "Mind if I join you?" she asked politely. Aya enthusiastically gestured for her to sit down with her. Milo began digging into her salad and ignoring the bowl of blueberry yogurt in front of her. To Milo, the awkward silence set in quickly. Desperate for any level of conversation, she said the one thing on her mind: "Why do I need yogurt? My stomach doesn't hurt."

"It is good to get local bacteria in your stomach before eating foreign foods. It helps you to not feel sick later. I learned that when I studied in Australia," Aya responded. As thankful, and surprised, by the tip as Milo was, she still did not want to eat a single bite of the fermented milk. She collected the largest amount onto the spoon that she could, took a deep breath, and shoved the food down her throat. Milo only tasted a small bit of the flavor - Success!

Aya giggled. Obviously fully aware of Milo's attempt at eating without tasting. "Where are you from?" she followed with.

"I go at an art school in North Carolina."

"Wow! You must be really talented."

Actually, Milo believed most of her drawings to look horrible. "I'm alright," she responded with a shrug.

"What brought you to Japan?"

Shit. Milo hated explaining this. "I've always liked anime. It's more interesting than American television, so I spend a lot of time watching anime. I've been wanting to visit Japan for years."

Aya's friendly face did not falter, yet Milo could feel the judgement - another fucking weeb visiting her country because of anime.

"Many people come to Japan because of anime. I think it is very interesting that anime inspires so many to travel here. I was talking to two girls who want to visit a small town because of Detective Conan. I think that is very special."

That… was not the response Milo was expecting. Typically her desire to visit Japan is met with scrutiny. She sensed a twinge of comfort not felt for a while. She wanted to share more.

"I want to draw concept art for Japanese video games - as a career, I mean. And I know Nintendo is located in Kyoto, so this abroad program seemed perfect for me."

"I love the _Fire Emblem_ series," Aya responded. "I think it would be cool if you worked on characters for them."

A smile stretched across Milo's face. She took another gulp of yogurt before continuing the conversation. The two girls shared their favorite moments of various _Fire Emblem_ entries and gushed over romance options. It seemed the delightful conversation could go on forever.

"How about we continue this during the scavenger hunt?" Aya asked. "I want you to see the city. Yasaka Shrine and the gardens around it are wonderful!" The idea sounded perfect to Milo. She quickly finished her salad and then the two girls took their dishes to the return shelf. "I need to put my suitcase in my room before we go," Aya told Milo, who did not object.

When Aya pressed the elevator button for the third floor, Milo got hopeful.

"What room are you in?" she asked.

"310," Aya replied.

"We're roommates!" Milo exclaimed.

The two cheered in the elevator, proclaiming that the weekend as roommates was going to be fantastic.

When they entered their hotel room, Aya placed her suitcase in the gracious amount of space the Milo left her. Then Aya grabbed a water bottle to place in her just as small backpack. The two returned to the elevator. As Aya pressed the call button, they watched the light indicating that the elevator was descending from the fifth floor. Milo took the time to be thankful for meeting such a wonderful person, believing that she could let down her walls and be comfortable with Aya.

The elevator dinged. It's doors opened to reveal a pair of guys standing in silence. On Milo's left was the guy from the airport who was the last to arrive - Joey, if she recalled correctly. And next to Joey, standing in front of Milo, was the rude guy who napped next to her on the bus. She remembered his name clearly, recalling that she wanted to stay away from him.

"Hey guys!" Aya said. "Want to join us for the scavenger hunt?"

Milo's enthusiasm drained through her feet as she attempted to avoid Royce's gaze.

* * *

"I thought the rule was '_i _before _e _except after _c_'."

"Except when _c _makes a "_sh" _sound or when the pair make an "_ay" _sound, like with 'neighbor' or 'eight'. However, remember that rule has exceptions as well, as with 'neither' and 'foreign'."

The small Japanese boy tilted his head. "How about I forget the rules and learn each word separate?"

The older boy leaned back in his seat and folded his arms. "I suppose you could." He then proceeded to check his phone for the time, realizing that the session had gone over time. "You should be going home. We went over our scheduled time."

The young boy picked up his notes and traced his finger through them. "I still have questions."

"You can save your questions for next time, Kai. Tyson has other things he needs to take care of."

The pair of boys turned in response to the middle-aged man with a long ponytail and thick beard who quietly entered the room.

"Dad, if Kai has questions then it's best he ask them now before he forgets." Tyson's dad gave a stern look.

"It is okay," Kai said as he collected his papers and books into his backpack. "I did stay longer than I should have. I can go." He then put a grey beanie hat over his blonde-dyed hair, effectively covering up the newly gown dark hair, and then proceeded to rush out of the house.

As still air hung between the father and son. Tyson knew some sort of lecture was coming.

"Prolonging a tutoring session to avoid responsibilities. Gotta say - that's a good one. However, it does not erase the fact that you told me you would apply for jobs today. Have you?"

Tyson did not respond, which prompted his father to suck his teeth.

"You're going out right now to see who is hiring. There should be at least one place still short-handed."

"Can't you and mom just work your connections?" Tyson groaned. "You both know hundreds to people; several of which statistically must be looking for help."

"If you were busy getting ready for university then yes, we would. But since you casually decided to not do that, I don't see why your mother and I should do the work for you on this."

Tyson knew better than to argue. Without looking at his father, he left the table to get ready. He put a button-up shirt over his tank-top, replaced his pajama pants with slacks, stuffed a few items into his pockets, and then headed to the washroom to brush his teeth.

As Tyson was readying to exit the washroom, his mother, a gorgeous Japanese woman whose skin was a healthy as a newborns, blocked his way.

"Since you're going out, take Jaiden with you. Get him out of that God forsaken room." She spoke with a tone of command rather than a request.

"I'll be searching for jobs; I don't know how long it will take." Tyson hoped this would shake her off of him.

"Even better!" his mother replied cheerfully and then walked away.

Tyson stood at the washroom mirror for a few moments longer. He took a deep breath in through his nose, exhaled out the mouth, and headed for his cousins room.

The door was closed, as always, with J-Rock music being the only indication that someone was in there.

Tyson gave the door a few knocks.

* * *

"_I've got two on me."_

"_I'm busy here too. DJ, can you get him?"_

"On my way FlickerDSM."

A bipedal wolf carrying an assault rifle raised across the map. With no enemies in his way, the wolf quickly made arrived to the spot where a grey knight swung a large sword at the two attackers - an angel with a gun, and a turtle with a cannon for an arm.

"_Don't let me be the last kill. Don't let me be the last kill," _FlickerDSM chanted into the ears of his teammates. With the enemy angel and turtle focused on FlickerDSM, they did not notice DJ's wolf avatar closing the distance. He took aim with his gun, steadying the scope at the height of his enemy's heads, and open fired. The system confirmed his accuracy with _Headshot! Headshot! Headshot! _flickering onto the screen with every bullet.

The angel was the first to notice the wolf. As the turtle continued attacking FlickerDSM, the angel avatar shot round after round at DJ's wolf. He used his dash ability, sending the wolf running on all fours several meters away from the fight. He did a fast pivot, once against aiming for the head and unleashed all the remaining bullets into the angel avatar. Remaining bits of the health bar vanished quickly under DJ's assault, killing the angel and prompted the round to stop. Every playing character on the map froze as a big blue "VICTORY" sparkled on the computer screen.

"_Fuck that was close! Good game guys." _

"GG my dudes."

The play of the game began on the monitor, showing off a player who dealt the most damage and earned the most kills within a 10-second window; it was the angel.

"_ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I DID WAY BETTER THAN HER," _screamed out the unmistakable voice of FlickerDSM.

DJ turned his head to his second monitor to check the chat room he had open. People were praising his fighting style and how he won the game for his team at the last second. He opened the stats window to look at the numbers: DigitalJex streaming for 6,1993 viewers. 12 new subscribers since the stream started three hours ago. "Thanks for the support," he spoke into his headset while looking into the webcam. "Make sure to give love to my teammates FlickerDSM and LolaPandi by checking out their streams and following their channels."

_-knock knock knock-_

Over the J-Rock music he had playing in the background and the people speaking in his ear, he could barely detect the knocking at his door. As much as he wanted to ignore whoever was on the other side, Jaiden knew better.

"One second everyone. Housemate needs my attention." He placed the headset on cleared table space and headed for the door. He expected to see his uncle or aunt, but instead he opened the door to his older cousin.

"Hey Jaiden," Tyson began. "I'm going out for a bit and my mom wants you to come with me." His delivery was really defeated. Obviously this was being forced upon Tyson.

"Um… I'm actually streaming right now, so maybe another time. Thanks though." Jaiden started to close the door, but Tyson put his hand out to stop it.

"Come on." His defeated expression turned agitated. "DigitalJex can take a break from EDEN for a few hours."

"I'm trying to gain followers, not lose them. Everyone is really loving my new avatar setup and I want to keep this going."

"Jaiden… don't be difficult. You know my parents." Tyson sounded more solemn than anything else.

Jaiden groaned and shook his head. Letting out an angry "This is stupid", he returned to his setup to tell his viewers he was cutting the stream early.

"Sorry viewers, something came up. I'll be back on as soon as I can, so turn on the notifications to get the alert. See ya then!"

* * *

The train had a gentle, rhythmic sway to it, just the way Kai likes it. The smooth rocking as he slouched into the cushioned seat relaxed him and eased his mind. The train route from his tutor's house back to his was not difficult: boarding at Karasuma Oike station, ride the train to Sanjo station, and then switch to the line bound for Fushimi Inari. During the day, these trains are packed with tourists heading to see the famous fox shine, and equally busy at night with adults enjoying the shopping and nightlife areas of Kawaramachi and Gion. None of this bothered Kai. Having lived in Kyoto his entire life, he has gotten familiar with excited tourists and drunk adults. Some days he even preferred sharing a train with them rather than going home.

"_Sanjo station. Now arriving at Sanjo station. The doors on the right side will open."_

Kai stood up and made his way to the train doors. When the train stopped and the doors opened, a crowd of Japanese people exchanged places - half of them getting off the train, half getting on. Kai stepped in line behind strangers. They moved like a current through a sea of humans, snaking past bodies and structures of the platform. The closer Kai got to the platform he needed to transfer on, the heavier his heart became. He wasn't ready to go home today. He deviated from the trail and made his way through the station. He rode the escalator up, passing several restaurants, until he was at ground level. He exited out into the fresh air.

Standing on the opposite side of the road from Kyoto's famous river, the Kamogawa, offered a nice view of all the restaurants and buildings with patios designed for leisure activities that overlook the river. For a moment, Kai considered grabbing an ice-cream to eat on the river bank, but then realized a better use of his time.

He made his way to a local FamilyMart, where he bought a small bag of fish; no bones and dried out. After exiting the Family, Kai walked south towards Yasaka Shrine. Aside from wasting time on the subway, the gardens of Yasaka Shrine was another top way for him to spend an evening.

It did not take Kai long to reach Yasaka Shrine's north-west entrance: a large gravel area surrounded by trees and bushes with several stone benches scattered around. He chose the bench near an expansive spot of grass to sit down at. He took out his bag of fish snacks.

_Tch tch tch,_ he clicked his tongue.

_Tch tch tch,_ he clicked again and opened the bag.

There was movement in the bushes to his right. Kai took a small handful of fish and placed them on the ground a few feet in front of him. Almost immediately, a slender white cat came trotting from the bushes, heading directly towards the dried fish.

"Hello, Angel," Kai softly spoke to the oncoming cat. Kai could detect more movement. Cats of all sizes and colors were appearing out of seemingly nowhere, interested in getting some fish snacks. Kai placed down more food for the two new cats in front of him. "Here you go Tusk. And some for you too, Little Lion." Even though the cats were close enough to pet, Kai knew better. The feral creatures appreciated the food and only got close enough to Kai as required to eat, but they did not want to be touched.

Kai had names for all the 17 cats at Yasaka Shrine: Angel, Tusk, Li-Li (Little Lion), Sky, Hana, Hermit, Yami, Buzz, Beat, Yo-yo, Aki, Natsu, Fuyu, Haru, Maow, Kuro and… where was Katsudon?

A small amount of fish snacks remained in the bag; he needed to make sure every cat ate. The cats of Yasaka Shrine are very good at hiding in plain sight, so Kai checked all the usual spots for this clowder's biggest member. No sight of the large tabby. His search took him into the extended part of gardens, where many pathways twisted through foliage and streams flowed through stone pathways. Every time Kai walks through this section he swears he discovers something new, this time he was hoping to find something familiar. He opened up the bag of fish snacks, hoping the smell would attract Katsudon.

After combing through the garden extension without any sign of Katsudon, Kai figured returning to the open gravel area might be a good idea; in case the cat made a reappearance. However, when Kai returned to his usual spot, there was still no sign of the cat.

Kai's heart sank and his eyes started to water. He sat on the closest stone bench, brought his knees up to his chin, and crossed his arms over his face. Soft sobs escaped his throat while an occasional tear trickled down his cheeks.

The sun was starting to descend behind the buildings, casting all of Yasaka Shrine into shadow. The temperature immediately dropped to a comfortable level once the hot Kyoto sun disappeared. Kai remained unchanged and continued to sit by himself for however long - he did not keep track of time or how many tears fell down.

"Kai…?"

Kai recognized the voice. He lifted his head and looked straight into the face of his tutor. Tyson was knelt down in front of Kai and had a concerned expression. Jaiden stood a few feet away, looking less concerned. Kai unraveled himself and wiped his eyes.

"Why are you crying out here by yourself?" Tyson asked him.

"Looking for a cat," Kai responded quietly. "I can't find him today. I hope he isn't ..." he couldn't bring himself to say what he had been fearing.

Tyson put his hand on Kai's shoulder. "We will help you look," he said before turning to look at Jaiden. "Both of us."

Jaiden looked annoyed and swung out his arms, but he didn't protest.

As much as Kai appreciated the gesture, but was not hopeful. Regardless, he stood up and walked with Jaiden and Tyson.

* * *

"...And you've been like this all summer, Megumi."

Megumi and three of her supposed friends were underneath one of the bridges that crossed the Kamogawa. Seems they, and others, had not appreciated her attitude the past few months. Miyu, Megumi's oldest friend, started the intervention by highlighting specific instances of Megumi's foul mood and bad temper.

"I understand everyone processes grief differently, but you should not take your anger out on others." said Ryo, the newest addition to the friend group.

"Outsiders shouldn't get involved with matters that don't concern them," Megumi said in a pointed tone.

"See how harsh you've become? Stop being so angry at us!" Megumi rolled her eyes. After years of track together, Megumi would say she knew Saori better than most.

"I will not forgo my own emotions for the sake of your comfort! You want me to stop venting my grief to you because you're tired of me taking up your time with my problems."

Saori covered her face. "Why are you so hurtful…," said managed to say before crying, which prompted Ryo to place his arms around her.

Miyu leaned against the support pillar for the bridge. "You always go right for the weakness," he said in a hushed voice. "I knew you were too hot-headed for this type of conversation…"

Megumi pushed pass Miyu and the conjoined Ryo and Saori. "Then you shouldn't have started it."

"We only want to help you recover from what you've been through. We don't think you are healing proper-"

"YOU DO NOT GET TO ANALIZE HOW I DEAL WITH MY GRIEF!" Megumi did not stop walking. She continued towards the steps leading to the main street, with no intention of furthering this conversation. How _dare_ they make her situation about themselves!

Megumi paid no attention to where she was walking - her legs were on auto-pilot while she crossed the bridge her friends were cornering her under. She was currently surrounded by dozens of strangers crossing the Kamogawa. Wherever they were heading, so was Megumi.

Her eyes did not leave the feet of whoever walked ahead of her, but her thoughts were all over. It was a struggle to keep her mind off of the event that happened three months ago, or the subsequent events, the tone of family interactions ever since, the fist-fight that resulted in suspension from track…. This summer had been too much.

In the minutes that passed by unchecked, the feet Megumi had been following stopped in their tracks. Bothering to look around, she noticed that the crowd she merged into halted at the crosswalk of a forked intersection. Across the street, she noticed the large gate of Yasaka shrine.

The light changed, and the crowd crossed the street.

Megumi walked to the tall steps leading to the main gate, marveling at how the entrance looked in the twilight. She figured this would be the best place to ease out her emotions. She looked back on the route she unwittingly walked. In front of her was the extraordinarily lit main street of Gion; shops, lanterns, food vendors, cars - so many lights being produced before the sun fully sets.

No sign of her friends…. Good.

Megumi ascended the stairs into Yasaka Shrine.

It was quiet; all the noise of Gion had faded and nobody walked in with her. Typically, the main walkway had rows of food stalls, one of which sold her favorite: sugar-coated mozzarella stick. Some days the vendor would sell at Fushimi-Inari. Regardless, no sugared mozzarella tonight. All the food vendors had already left.

Megumi continued up the path to the main area which contained the stage. At night, the stage lanterns shine bright. She sat on a nearby bench and waited. The lanterns would turn on any second now.

Her solitude ended as other humans entered the main area. From the left entered three boys: a tall American-Japanese with glasses whose thick black hair was parted to both sides, a younger American in need of a haircut and sunlight, and an early-teenage Japanese boy still in his school uniform and wearing a grey beanie that pushed his blonde hair over his red-from-irritation eyes.

Across the way, four others stepped into the gravelled area. Three of them were also American: one guy was tall and handsome, the other guy was nearly as tall and Megumi could tell he does his eyebrows, and an African-American girl whose beautifully braided hair was pulled together under a bandana. They were also accompanied by a Japanese girl, who draped her braided chestnut hair over her right shoulder.

Everyone stopped and gazed at the lanterns of the stage, each beginning to flicker on. However, that was all they did - flicker. On and off, the one-hundred lanterns would not stay lit for more than half a second. Megumi's eyes were beginning to hurt. She would have looked away had she not noticed the strange distortion manifesting center-stage. Hovering over the polished wood, a bright blue line cut through the air.

* * *

"Lady Ophanimon, sensors are picking up two additional lifeforms. If the gate opens now, they will be sucked in along with the chosen ones."

Clad in green armor that clung to her body, the angel tightened her grasp on her iconic spear.

"Local beasts, no doubt. Shakamon stated these coordinations and this Analogue time. We must listen to the predictions. Six of these signatures are the new DigiDestined we need to stop the Dark Masters. The other two will be dealt with if needed."

Ophanimon stood at the top of a dual staircase with a balcony that overlooked the control room, where two Turuiemon typed away at their consoles. They were putting in the final calculations and adjustments to operate the gate. If Ophanimon were to be honest with the two workers, they would know how scared she was regarding the possibility of two extra humans in the Digital World - two humans she did not expect. Preparations have only been made for six DigiDestined.

"Change the entry point to Primary Village," she called out.

The two purple rabbits stalled their worked to turn in unison towards their commander. "Excuse me?" they both responded.

"Drop them at Primary Village instead of our Holy City. Alert Swanmon of the change in schedule. We cannot have unknown entities here," Ophanimon ordered.

The two Turuiemon looked helplessly at each other. The digimon on the right began to draft a message to Swanmon as his partner on the left turned back to Ophanimon.

"Lady Ophanimon, with the dimensional distortion interfering with the gate, last-second changes to entry point data is unpredictable. I can do my best, but the accuracy could be-"

"Then do your best," Ophanimon interrupted the rabbit with her cold tone.

Turuiemon, nervous and shaking, altered the coordinations for entry to occur at, or at least hopefully close to, Primary Village.

"Coordinates set, My Lady. Dimensional gate is… ready."

Ophanimon took a deep breath.

"Open the gate."

* * *

Back at Yasaka Shrine, eight humans watched in fascination and terror as electricity crackled between the lanterns of the main stage. The line of blue light wiggled in the center. Then, with a loud bang and a shockwave that dispersed a torrent of particles, the line of light burst open into an unstable tear. Wind rushed towards the opening at a speed high enough to feel as though the humans were being sucked up by a tornado.

The particles, each cycling through all colors imaginable, whirled around each human; containing them within cocoons of infinite colors. The rainbow particles swirled around them as fast as the rushing wind, encroaching closer with each rotation.

One by one, in pairs, clusters at a time patches of skin and clothes were becoming covered by the particles. They latched onto hair and clothes. Many futile attempts of wiping them away were made by everyone. In Japanese, Kai repeatedly screamed out "Help me" as one by one the particles fled his body and returned to the distortion over the stage. But with each fleeting particle, a piece of his body disappeared. Piece by piece, Kai's body was disassembled by the particles. His screams continued until his entire being scattered and flowed into the tear.

One by one, all eight humans dissolved into thousands of rainbow-color particles that were sucked into the frazzled rupture hanging in the air.

As the last particle disappeared inside the rupture, it snapped shut just as swiftly as it opened. With it, the main gravel yard of Yasaka Shrine fell deadly silent as the hundred lanterns powered on.


	3. Booting Up - Hello Digital World

Soil soaked the underside of Joey's shirt while his cheeks were warmed by sunlight that nudged past the overhanging leaves of an oak tree. A spontaneous collection of coughs jolted him conscious, which made him aware of the painful pressure in his head. He opened his eyes, which needed to adjust to the midday level of brightness, then realized his surroundings: trees, with long branches full of deep green leaves, reaching far upwards, thick shrubs with vibrantly colored flowers circling the small open area of broken twigs and damp grass. Yasaka shrine was nowhere in sight.

Joey checked his person. All of his belongings were still with him, his clothes had not been altered, and, to a big relief, his necklace remained undamaged.

"Aya," he shouted. "Aya!" he shouted louder, to the displeasure of his headache.

Behind Joey, twigs snapped and leaves rustled. He twisted his body around to see a tall girl stepping out of the foliage. Her confused expression resembled Joey's. He recognized her from the shrine - when the rainbow lights engulfed them.

"_Who are you_?" she asked in Japanese.

"_Joey Irving_," he said. "_Who are you? Do you know why we are not at Yasaka Shrine_?"

"_Megumi Yoshiro. I don't know where we are_." She brushed her fingers through long black hair, shaking loose various elements of the forest that were caught in the strands.

A man emerged through bushes on the opposite end. His eyes were frantic behind his glasses. "Have either of you seen a skinny pale boy with messy black hair? Or a Japanese boy with blond hair and a cap?"

"I just woke up," Joey said, lifting himself from the ground. "I'm looking for a few people too. Let's look together." He chose a direction at random and walked out of the clearing. The guy with glasses followed close behind. Megumi lagged a few feet back. They found a trail to follow while the two boys called out the names of those they were separated from.

"Who are you looking for?" Joey asked the dark haired guy. He let out a few more yells before responding.

"My cousin, Jaiden, and this kid I tutor, Kai," he said.

"Do you have their numbers?" Joey said.

"I've tried. No service."

Joey pulled out his phone. It was not damaged, but the guy was right: no signal. "We must be deep in the mountains…." Joey returned his phone to the pocket.

"Don't think so," the guy said. "We haven't walked up any slopes."

"Know of any flat forests around Yasaka Shrine?" Joey asked.

"It's at the base of a mountain range. I don't think there are any," he said, and returned to calling out for Jaiden and Kai.

A loud screech cut through the trees and echoed off the leaves. Distant humming followed. It grew louder. Louder. Closer.

"Hide!" Joey called out and dashed toward the closest bush. The other two scattered. Joey scanned what little of the sky was visible past the treetops. He expected a swarm of insects to fly by, but only one giant red beetle flew over. Joey crouched further down after being startled by the creature, but not before being astonished by the bug's size. The buzzing faded soon after.

"Was that a kaiju? Does Japan actually have kaiju?" Joey said as they gathered back on the trail. Neither Megumi or the guy seemed as fascinated in the giant bug as Joey. They stood in silence with looks of unbelievability.

"_Kaiju_…," Megumi said. "_They only exist in myths and fiction. Take your stereotypes back to America_."

"_Do you think we are still in Japan_?" said Joey.

Megumi rolled her eyes and looked at the trees.

"Where else would we be?" said the other guy.

A growl came from somewhere else in the forest. "Go on. Go! Get out of here!"

The three heard twigs snap and leaves crunch as something hurried through the trees. They froze, but kept their eyes sharp and readied themselves to hide from another giant monster.

"There," Joey pointed to bushes being rustled as something darted between them. A large mammal spang onto the path. It had grey fur and long rabbit-like ears, but Joey was focusing on the lengthy black claws jutting from the creature's front paws. With black eyes and hunched back, it stared down each human.

"You lousy Gazimon. Next time I see you, I won't hold back!" called the voice from earlier. The large rabbit ran off into the woods.

"That sounded human," Joey said to the others before he ran off.

"_Japanese. Seems like we are still in Japan_," Megumi said. The guy next to her cocked his head.

"_I heard English_," he said to her.

Joey pushed aside branches and danced around tree trunks to keep in as straight a line as possible toward the voice. He looked over his shoulder and saw that the other two were following at half his speed. Joey slowed down as not to be separated from them as well.

When the treeline came into view, bright colored buildings could be seen further out. Some were short, but others extended up with pointed roofs. Every building was painted with the primary colors, with the taller buildings being a combination of colors. After exiting the forest, Joey could see the buildings more clearly: childish designs of various animals and objects decorated the sides of many buildings that did not have windows or doors. They looked like building blocks for children. Trees that stood along pathways were decorated with string lights and toys hanging from their branches. Further back, a tree, larger than Joey had thought possible, towered over the collection of colorful blocks. Like an umbrella, the branches of this tree extended far enough to shade the entire area. Rainbow dust drifted from the leaves that existed on the perimeter, creating a townline in a perfect circle.

"Those colorful lights at Yasaka Shrine...," Joey said as the other two walked up to him. "I think we've been shrunk."

Megumi asked for a translation, then shook her head when she understood. "_That's impossible_."

"Who's over there? Gazimon, I'll beat you and your friends back again." A small old man turned from a building corner and approached them. He could not have been more than three feet tall. While his beard and messy hair covered his face, he wore a sack to cover his body, leaving his large bare feet showing. His walking stick was adorned with a great yellow paw, but he seemed to walk fine on his own.

"A human! He speaks English, too," Joey ran off to meet the old man.

The distance between Joey and the small man closed quickly. Joey waved and called out to him, but when he got close the old man let out a yell and slammed the yellow paw of his walking stick into the side of Joey's head.

* * *

Tyson and Jaiden must have been looking for him, and it would be bad if they searched this spot after he moved. He had been told that the best thing to do when lost is to stay where you were, so that's what Kai did. He sat against a tree with his face buried in his knees, and waited for someone to search these trees and find him.

What if they were doing the same thing: sitting and waiting for Kai to find them?

Kai lifted his head back against the tree and stared up into the branches. Sunlight filtered through the leaves onto his face. His face was positioned just so that the warm sunbeams, which drifted in small movements as the leaves swayed, did not shine in his eyes. As peaceful as the area should have seemed, Kai was unsettled by the eerie silence; no birds chirping, no loud cicadas, no bugs buzzing about. The trees were vacant save for Kai and the small object that he had not previously noticed caught in the branches overhead.

He stood up to get a better look at what seemed to be a white rock with two golden wings painted on. Not that Kai had any reason to be curious about a white rock beside it looking out of place, he jumped to smack the branch it laid upon. The rattle disturbed the perch enough to make the object roll off the branch, into Kai's arms. With a better look he realized it was not a rock, but an egg. In neither this tree or any surrounding could Kai see a nest large enough to hold the egg.

"_Well_," he said while patting the egg. "_We can't both be lost_." He walked into the forest without a clue or a direction, only hope for finding his friends and a place for the egg.

Kai hated the woods. He appreciated the beauty of trees; tall trunks with grooves etched into the bark, the annual cycle of leaves versus the persistence of evergreens, the variety of plants that could be found in a square meter. It was what lurked in the woods that he hated. Worse yet, what could be lurking. What harmful monsters were hiding past the hedges? He was thankful for the sunlight. Sunlight provides strength and courage and keeps the monsters in hiding. Darkness is when the monsters get brave. Hopefully Kai would find his friends before nightfall.

A few meters ahead rested a broad red mound; a dome the likes of which contrasted with the forest. It did not comfort Kai, but it did not unsettle him either. When he got closer he realized that the dome rested on top of red limbs laying across the dirt. They reminded Kai of the shell-covered arms of crabs. His eyes followed the curve of whatever he was staring at and noticed a set of pincers protruding from the front end.

A monster. A giant, red, bug-monster resting in the shade. Kai's heart thumped, thumped. His legs were shaking. Looking down at the egg he held firm, Kai questioned what type of egg he had been carrying.

New plan: put the large egg with the large bug and run back to his spot under the tree to wait for Tyson and Jaiden to find him. If only his legs worked. Rolling the egg was also an option, but he would need to part the tall grass in front of him in order to get a good roll. Kai pushed his arm into the long stalks. Separating the grass from their static state allowed Kai to see the yellow bug scooting along the ground on the other side. It's mouth looked capable of being a garbage disposal. Black stripes decorated each segment of the exoskeleton down to the black stinger that could pierce Kai's body through and still have room.

Kai screamed, louder than he wanted to, and took stumbles back. The red monster ahead stirred and the dome split open to reveal wings. It's wings vibrated at the quick speed that only insects and hummingbirds can achieve. With their size, the wings generated a buzz and a gust of wind that knocked Kai off of his already weak legs. Then the red bug launched itself above the trees.

Kai ran. He ran fast. Away from the bug and it's buzzing wings, unsure of his direction. He just wanted out of these woods. They have to end at some point. If he were paying attention, Kai would admire the speed at which he ran, or the way he was able to make sharp turns when a tree stood in his way. He paid no attention to where he was going. His body was on autopilot. It knew to jump over shrubs, skirt past trees, and to duck under branches, but did not know how to act when his path was obstructed by an tiny old woman.

His body did not stop. His mind did not take in what was in front of him. Kai ran into the old woman and they both tumbled into a tree. Kai avoided slamming his head into the trunk, but the sudden collison and halt of his autopilot left him confused.

"Kai?" called out a familiar voice. He kept his eyes closed, writing it off as a trick from his brain playing on the hope of finding his friends. Footsteps rushed over to his side and then a hand shook his shoulder while the voice called his name again. Not a trick. Kai opened his eyes to see one half of those he were looking for. "Jaiden! I found you," Kai said with a smile.

"Get. Off." groaned a voice underneath Kai. Then, a bundle of straw smacked him across the face. It pulled away and swatted him on the back of his head. "Get off of me."

Jaiden helped Kai to his feet. A small woman with gray hair pulled into a topknot continued to wave her broom in the air. "You kids… how many more are going to appear on top of me?"

Kai noticed others standing a little bit away, two girls and a boy holding a basket. The old woman planted the stick of her broom into the dirt as balance to rise herself off the ground.

"_Oh, here let me_-," Kai began to reach out a hand to help her up, but noticed he still clutched the egg to his body.

"Hmm? What are you doing with a digiegg?" she asked after getting back on her feet. She pointed the broom's bristles at Kai. He could not see her eyes past the grey hair, but her scowl was clear.

"_I'm sorry. I found it in a tree and was hoping to find it's home_," Kai replied in Japanese

She did not lower her broom. "Did Gazimon, Betamon, or Mushroomon put you up to this?"

"_Did_... _what_?" Kai looked at Jaiden.

"He was with us at Yasaka Shrine when the rainbow lights appeared. I promise he doesn't know about anything," Jaiden said. "Kai, this is Babamon."

"_Baba-mon? What kind of honorific is that?_"

"It isn't an honorific, it's my name," said the old woman. She sounded ready to smack Kai with the broom again. "I'm a caretaker at Primary Village, which is where I am taking you all. I was told that the DigiDestined were to arrive at the Golden City before coming to Primary Village, so either you're not the DigiDestined or something is wrong. But if one more human lands on top of me then I will throw you all into Dragon Eye Lake!"

"Jaiden, what is she…?" Kai asked.

"I'm not sure," Jaiden said. "After what happened at Yasaka Shrine, we all woke up next to a river. She told the same babble to us, but refuses to talk more about it until she takes us to this Primary Village place."

Kai had not been studying English too long, but he knew that "primary" basically meant "first". American war movies always talked about the "primary objective", and he knew about primary colors.

"_Does this egg belong at the Primary Village_?" Kai asked Babamon.

She leaned in close to the egg and made several distinct sniffing sounds. "I've not smelled an egg like this before. Perhaps this one has never died before. Carry it back to the Village for me, will you?"

"_How come I have to carry it_?"

"I set a precedent with the boy before you. He fell from the sky right on top of me, so I made him carry my fish as punishment. You ran into me, so you will carry the egg." She walked away from the group. "Besides, it likes you. I can tell."

The other three started walking after Babamon, but Kai hesitated.

"Jaiden, where is Tyson?"

"With any luck, the other human will already be at Primary Village," Babamon shouted from ahead of the group. "It'll save us the trouble of tracking them down in the forest. Still can't figure out why Ophanimon would send the six of you here instead of the Golden City."

Aya walked faster to catch up with Babamon. "_I'm sorry, did you say six_?"

"We were told to prepare for six DigiDestined," Babamon replied.

Aya exchanged concerned looks with Milo and Royce.

"_But_," Aya said, "_there were more than six of us at Yasaka Shrine_."

* * *

"You okay? Hey boy, wake up."

Joey was being shaken at the shoulders. His head was throbbing once again, so soon after his previous headache disappeared. At least this one was milder.

"Sorry to hit you so hard there boy. You startled me," said the old man. He extended a hand to help Joey to his feet, but being much shorter than Joey made him more of a crutch.

"Tyson! We found you!" called out a voice. The four turned around to see Kai, giant egg firm in his arms, running toward his tutor. Jaiden followed Kai at a slower pace, looking as though reuniting with this cousin was something he needed to do rather than wanted to do. The other humans rushed over as well. Royce got there first.

"So you did make it. Any idea what's going on?" Royce asked Joey.

"I think so. Take a look at this," Joey gestured to the collection of child blocks in the formation of buildings. "Giant building blocks, an enormous tree, and an oversized bug - I think those rainbow lights at Yasaka Shrine shunk us. And obviously we aren't the first people that it's happened to. The old man and woman must have been shrunk long before us."

Babamon joined the crowd. "Boy, do not mistake my appearance for your human concept of age." Her mouth fell into a scowl, pulling on the stitches that crossed her lips.

The old man made a hum while stroking his beard. "Babamon, you've brought too many humans. There are supposed to only be six."

"Well I cannot simply put them back now can I, Jijimon? Or should I have left them in Native Forest to partner with whoever and do whatever they want?" Babamon's delicate looking hand clutched the broom she carried as though ready to shove the bristles into the other's face.

"_Excuse me_," Aya interrupted Babamon before any harm could be done. "_You are talking as though we are aliens. Are we still in Kyoto?_"

Babamon unclenched her broom and returned her mouth into a tight line. "My dear to us you might as well be aliens."

Royce nudged Joey for his attention. "So I don't know any Japanese. What did the girl say?"

"Aya called them out on talking about us as though we are aliens and then questioned if we are still in… wait," Joey stared off, not looking at particularly anything but rather trying to piece together a mystery. "Babamon, was it? Do you know Japanese?"

Babamon's scowl returned. "You humans ask an awful lot of questions. Let's take you to Swanmon before you ask anything else." Utilizing her adornment as a walking stick rather than a cleaning tool, Babamon walked into the town of child toys.

"We are simply caretakers for the babies of Primary Village, but Swanmon is caretaker of Primary Village," said the small old man, Jijimon. "She can answer all of your questions. Please follow us." He also used his stick as a crutch for walking.

Joey turned to look at everyone around him. None of them looked comfortable or happy. He could feel their hesitation vibrating the air. It would be a lie to say he did not want to bolt into the trees to look for a way back to Yasaka Shrine. Maybe if he waited until dusk the rainbow lights will swallow him again and return him to normal size. Then he would return to the group of students looking forward to a semester in Kyoto.

"Hurry up you humans!" Called out Babamon. She and Jijimon had passed through the veil of sparkling particles sprinkling from the branches that hanged above the village. No one moved closer to the old couple. Joey once again looked at the others, a mix of ages and ethnicities. The girl he met in the forest did not speak English and Royce did not speak Japanese.

"Aya," Joey said after taking in a deep breath. "Will you translate for me, please?"

She nodded.

"I'm sure this is the strangest thing to have ever happened to any of us," he began. Everyone either started at him or Aya as she echoed his words in Japanese. "And I understand that an old lady and old man in the middle of the woods are not ideal images of trustworthy people. However, they know what is going on with us. So before we run away from what may be the only people around, we should hear them out."

He waited for Aya to finish speaking. They held the same uncomfortable expressions, but no one went against his opinion. He nodded his head and walked to meet Babamon and Jijimon. It took a second before he heard any trailing footsteps. As he approached the townline, the two on the other side continued deeper into the village. Joey admired the glittering dust that drifted down slowly. He stuck out his hand, but nothing collected in his palm. Whatever it was fell through his hand as though it were as transparent as air. Looking down, he noticed that the dust did not accumulate on the grass either. Surprised or shocked did not accurately convey the emotion Joey felt. For him, the feeling was closer to curiosity.

Then, Joey stepped through the veil.

The streets of the town - the village - were not paved. Rather they were covered by a spongy material that resembled stretchy plastic. It gave additional buoyancy to his steps, which made Joey think that if he tried he would jump as though being on a trampoline. Each stack of building blocks were positioned to resemble houses. Some had doors, but most did not. Designs of whales, spaceships, smiley faces, and other child-friendly designs decorated the sides. Memories of childhood flooded back to Joey; playing various games with other kids in the cul-de-sac, hiding from teachers during recess because it was funny, learning shapes and colors with his mom. He ran his fingers over the small vial hanging from his necklace and wondered what his mother would think about all that was happening.

The buildings ended and gave way to a field of large eggs with various patterns. Stripes, bands, dots, waves, and each of different colors. A few looked like the egg Kai had been carrying.

Kai hurried past Joey into the field and placed the egg down in an unoccupied area.

"_Told you I would find your home_," he spoke softly while rubbing the egg gently. Kai looked out into the field. Toward the center were more huts, only these were not made of child building blocks. The trunk of the gigantic tree stood in the center of that. Emerging from the collection of huts was a cradle being pushed by a white figure that Kai could only assume was a goose.

"Is that a goose?" someone remarked behind Kai.

The goose-like figure walked to a small batch of unoccupied grass, where it took another egg from the cradle and placed it gently on the ground. Jijimon hobbled forward and called out, "Swanmon. The DigiDestined appeared outside the village."

Swanmon craned it's long neck and made a hushed honk of astonishment. "Welcome children," it said before returning to an upright stance. "I did not expect you to be here. Please accompany me so we may be properly acquainted."

If humanoid swans could smile, Kai would swear he saw the creature's bill stretch into one. Babamon and Jijimon walked further into the field, but the others each had a varying look of bewilderment; Tyson looked ready to run back into the forest and Jaiden seemed as though he would follow.

"_What the hell is going on?_" said the tall Japanese girl, Megumi. She pulled her black puffer jacket closed and crossed her arms. "_I am not taking another step into this nightmare_."

No one had an answer for her. They shared her confusion and hesitation.

"_They said they would explain everything once we met Swanmon. We just need to sit down with those three_," Joey said. Aya began to translate for Milo, Royce, and Jaiden.

"_You want to follow the strange old people and the talking swan deeper into a nursery hellscape? That has 'terrible idea' written all over it!_"

Joey stepped closer to her. "_We don't know if we shrunk or are even still in Japan, but those three do. It wouldn't be a good idea to ignore them_."

Megumi stepped toward Joey. "_It isn't a good idea to trust an unnatural talking animal in a land with giant beetles and fields of eggs! Something's not right about this_."

Kai knew what would happen soon. The body language and escalating tone were indicators of a fight. He worried how this fight would end up; strictly verbal with the only wound being the relationship, or would a punch be thrown. Tyson seemed to have assumed the latter outcome when he put himself halfway in front of Jaiden. The two other Americans were listening to Aya, who did not seem willing to step between. If the two could not stop themselves, this fight would be the first of many.

"_Please_," Kai shouted out, "_don't fight_." He rushed back to stand next to the arguing pair and grabbed their hands. "_I'm scared of this place; of the giant monsters in the woods. But you two seem tough enough to take on anything. With you around, I feel safe_."

Kai questioned how much of his own words were lies. Then he wondered who he was lying to. He was scared, but not of the mysterious residents of the village. He felt safe, but that did not come from being around other humans. These were words that he should have said long ago during a different fight. "_Let's stick together and ride this out. If anything bad happens, we will take it on together, as a family_."

Kai gave an endearing smile, one that he knew people could not say no to, many had told him so.

Megumi shifted uncomfortably.

"_I don't need a brother_." She dropped her hand from Kai's grip and crossed her arms again.

Joey huffed at her, then nudged Kai and smiled. "_You don't need to worry about anything with me around. I promise you'll be safe_." After Kai gave a small nod, Joey went to follow Babamon and Jijimon into the inner circle of the village. Royce tailed after him immediately. One by one, others in the group walked onward, though Megumi stayed in place.

Aya placed her hands on Kai's shoulders. "_That was very brave of you_," she said. Turning to Megumi, Aya placed a hand on her back, hoping that it would be a gesture of walking together. Megumi instead shrugged it away and walked on her own. She dredged through the field of eggs, mindful not to step near them. These eggs were otherworldly and mysterious, containing who-knows-what. What struck her as most strange was that they laid out in the open. No incubator or parent to keep them warm. Just laying on the ground like grenades of mysterious monsters.

The inner circle of structures had forgone the distinguishable childish wonder by being built from logs and seeming more spacious. The largest wood hut was the one closest to the tree. Up close, the tree was so massive that Megumi could not help but entertain Joey's idea that maybe they had been shrunk. As she marveled at the tree's size, Aya and Kai passed into the hut, leaving her alone outside. If only one person had taken her side, she would be in the forest, searching for the way home. Instead, she had to push past the curtained entrance to a hut owned by a talking swan.

Inside the hut reminded Megumi of a typical Japanese apartment spacious enough for a family; a raised wood floor with rooms connected on either side and a back door straight ahead. Where she was standing was still grass, so she wiped away whatever dirt stuck to the bottom of her shoes before removing them from her feet. Judging from the other discarded shoes, Megumi was not the only person to act in this custom.

"Please, sit down," said the swan. It's voice was soothing and high pitched, perfect for a children's audiobook. The creature squatted on the wood floor, consuming it's leg in down and the wings folded against the body.

"Forgive my nervousness," the swan started. "Ophanimon usually does the welcome speech. I am Swanmon, the head caretaker of Primary Village. Here is where all citizens of this world are born anew. Babamon, Jijimon, and myself, along with every living you will meet, are called "digimon", which is shortened from "digital monster". We are not in the world that you call home. You humans have been brought to our world; the Digital World."

Silence. Megumi hated silence. "_What the hell does that mean_?" she asked.

"Where is the Digital World? Is this another galaxy? Are you aliens?" Joey said, barely a breath away from cutting off Megumi.

"_Were the lights at Yasaka Shrine caused by you_?" Aya added.

"When are you going to send us back?" Tyson followed.

"Why did you bring us here?" Royce said.

Though remaining silent, Megumi could sense the unease building up in the three other humans. The girl who sat behind Aya darted her eyes between everyone in the room, while the two younger boys stared ahead.

"Please calm down," said Swanmon, her wings raised with the feathers pointed outward like a human holding up their hands for a pause. "I understand this is shocking, so I will do my best to cover your questions." Swanmon's wings returned to their folded position. "You were called by Ophanimon, an angelic humanoid digimon who lives in the Golden City. Those lights you experienced where the digital gate pulling you into our world, which lays parallel to yours. We exist separately, yet cooperatively; existing with each other without fully interacting. Ophanimon has detected trouble in our world and has chosen you to assist us."

Another pause. More silence. Only this time, Megumi did not want it to end. Ending the silence meant adding to the crazy idea that other dimensional angels and swans were asking for help.

"_Why us_?" said the blonde Japanese boy.

"Humans are special to our world. Within each of you is a force that, when channeled properly, produces nothing short of miracles. You are each very special and more powerful than you would assume. It is no small thing to ask the aid of humans. To be called upon makes you a chosen hero; a DigiDestined."

"...Destined?" whispered Joey to himself. The word echoed in his mind. It was a heavy word in any language. Prompting contemplation of fate, meaning, and purpose. "But why specifically the eight of us?"

Swanmon took time answering. Their green eyes examined each face thoroughly, as if mulling over her next words carefully. "Some things are beyond my allowance of understanding. I was tasked with looking after the digimon who would be your partners and bring them to you in the Golden City. So strange for you to arrive here first..."

"_Whoa_. _That's so cool_," said Kai. "_We get to be heroes in another world_!" His enthusiasm outmatched everyone else; although there was not much competition. "_Tyson, Jaiden. This is going to be so fun_."

Tyson scowled at him. "How does any of this seem fun?" He did not bother to use Japanese. Kai should know this from their lessons. "This situation is crazy - chosen heroes for a parallel world of monsters? There is no way to save an entire world that we know nothing about, Kai. They kidnapped us and are forcing us into a suicide mission with the reward being our freedom to return home."

Joey leaned over. "Hey man, chill out on the kid. He's right to be excited about becoming heroes for another world. I mean, how often does that happen? Pretty exciting stuff, right roomie?" Joey nudged Royce with his shoulder.

"No, it's not exciting," Royce said. His aggravated face was not the response Joey had expected. "In fact, if we were chosen to be heroes, then they chose a lousy group. Two children and a group of teenagers, all strangers, and a language barrier. You and the kid are being fanatical while the rest of us don't want to be wrapped up in this. Such a sorry group like us will be dead in a week."

Royce's comment about the language barrier reminded Aya that she should have been translating. She waved for the attention of the other Japanese girl. "_They were talking about_-"

"_I don't need you to translate for me. It's clear things aren't going well_," Megumi said.

The group continued their bickering.

"This is not going well, Swanmon," Jijimon said while stroking his beard. "We need to recollect them, calm them down, if they are ever to work together."

"Jijimon is right," said Babamon while clenching and unclenching the broom. "Not to mention there are eight of them. Could Ophanimon have chosen the wrong humans?"

"That is not for us to speculate." Swanmon kept her voice low and calm. "We trust the judgement of the Celestials, do we not?"

The two older digimon agreed.

"Then we must trust these humans." Swanmon extended her feathers and flapped her wings. A calm breeze flowed through the room. "Please, please. Settle yourselves, DigiDestined." The eight humans silenced their arguing.

"I must apologize," Swanmon picked up, "As previously stated, I have never given an orientation. Undoubtedly this situation would have gone better in the care of Ophanimon. Perhaps meeting your partners will help ease you. If you would, follow me out back. "

Swanmon exited the hut through the back door. To make sure the humans did not try to run off, Babamon and Jijimon ushered each of them to follow. Megumi was the last to get up. She tried to stare down the two digimon, but their eyes were hidden behind thick grey bangs. Beyond the door, Megumi stood at the back of the group, who huddled closely to the hut's exit. She did not put attention towards being irritated by the lack of standing space they left her. Exiting the hut put them in a clearing at the base of the giant tree that shrouded the village. As astounding as the tree was, what stole attention from it were the six monsters playing at it's base.

Despite being in a different world, so far Megumi had been able to liken the inhabitants to real world counterparts: a giant red beetle, a rabbit, a swan, and two old people. But in front of her were new creatures that she could not draw direct parallels with. A flower bud and guinea pig flew above a furry purple dinosaur, a blue reptile, a red nine-tailed bunny, and a white seal. They chased each other, tackled each other, and a few times tried to bite. When a blow missed, the creature who dodged would laugh with victory. When a claw made contact, the one who got hit would retaliate with a wicked smile and intent to return the favor.

"Children, attention please," called Swanmon as she stepped between the rough-housing monsters and the group of stiff humans. Swanmon needed to call their attention a few more times before the six finished attacking each other.

"Is that them?" the purple dinosaur asked as it kicked the blue reptile away. It rushed to stand next to Swanmon, swaying it's bushy tail. "Which is my tamer?"

"Tamer" was the trigger word that made the other five digimon refocus their energy from attacking each other to rejoicing around Swanmon asking "who is mine?". Swanmon's extended wings blanketed the bouncing creatures to calm them down. Then she directed her attention to the other group, who exuded less enthusiastic energy.

"Just as a human is chosen to help us, so is a digimon chosen to help them." Swanmon's feathers rustled on the backs of the digimon cradled underneath. "When a human partners with a digimon, they become a tamer, and the physical manifestation of this partnership is the digivice."

Jijimon, who carried a gold encrusted box instead of his walking stick, shuffled to stand next to Swanmon. Carved into the lid were black symbols unreadable to the humans. Opening up the box displayed six devices made from a clear material that exposed the complex inner workings. In the center was a powered-off screen, two buttons on the right and one on the left.

"Joey Irving," called out Swanmon. How she knew his full name was beyond him. "Please come forward."

By this point, Joey did not see it fit to resist or question. Instead, he smiled. A genuine smile that convinced him of one thing: he wanted this. He stepped forward.

Swanmon handed him a digivice. "That one is mine!" called out the purple, furry dinosaur. To Joey, all the gadgets looked identical, without any distinction separating them.

"Joey," Swanmon said, "your chosen partner is Dorumon. Please hold out your digivice."

Joey was twice as tall as Dorumon, so kneeling down felt appropriate. Joey held out the digivice in his palm, but even though Dorumon's mouth was pulled into the biggest grin a large-snout dinosaur could make, Dorumon did not move.

"Is something wrong?" Joey asked after a pause.

"I am savoring the moment!" said Dorumon. "I have waited very long to have a partner. This moment is the start of a very grand adventure." Dorumon's soft fur tickled Joey's palm as he placed his paw over the digivice. An orange light radiated between their stacked hands. It was a gentle glow, not as blinding as the light from the shrine. After the light calmed down, Joey checked to see that the once clear digivice changed to opaque orange and the buttons had changed from white to blue. It wasn't his favorite color, but having a monster from another world for a partner made up for that.

Joey and Dorumon stepped to the side. Swanmon continued with the pairing process by calling out "Royce Anderson." As uncomfortable as Royce had felt since landing in the Digital World, watching Joey pair with Dorumon sparked a competitive feeling in him. Out of the bunch, Royce liked Dorumon's design the best. Maybe he will get the red and blue rabbit-looking one. He did not want to be partnered to a digimon with a distasteful appearance.

"Your partner is Monodramon," said Swanmon as she handed him a digivice. Apparently, Monodramon was the blue reptile with small wings on it's arms. Guess destiny doesn't take preference into consideration. Even though Monodramon was as tall as Dorumon, Royce remained standing. He did not want to seem as though he were copying Joey. To add to the distinction, Royce held the digivice in his fingers and pointed it down toward Monodramon.

"I'm happy to be your partner," Monodramon said. "I know we will become great friends." He reached up and touched his claws to the screen. Royce watched a blue light shine out from the center of the digivice, which slowly shifted it's transparent casing into an opaque one the same color blue as the light. The buttons on the digivice gained a silver coating, not drastically different from their original color. Monodramon repeatedly hopped while chanting "I've got a tamer" as the two joined Joey and Dorumon off to the side.

"Next, Aya Okudera," Swanmon called out. Aya felt odd walking the distance with all eyes on her. She had been so used to being on the other side of orientation. Very soon, she would be matched with a digimon companion and go save a world which previously did not exist to her. A world completely unlike the one she knew. She hastened the final few steps and cupped her hands for Swanmon to place the digivice.

"Your partner is Lalamon." Aya knelt down and held out the digivice, still cupped between both hands. She looked at the three faces in front of her. None of them moved. Instead, they smiled and giggled. Another giggle sounded above her. "Aya, I am up here."

A pink and green digimon that looked like a baby plant floated next to Swanmon. How did Aya miss that? Her cheeks went red. "_I'm so sorry_," Aya stood up. "_The other two were on the ground, so I figured you would be too_." She bowed to Lalamon.

"Is this a human thing? What does it mean?" Lalamon tried to copy Aya, but bowing while flying produced uncontrollable somersaults in the air. Again and again Lalamon flipped. Aya, flustered, waited for Lalamon to reach the upright position again so she could clasp her hands onto the tumbling digimon. Lalamon was too dizzy to speak. In the hand where Aya still held onto her digivice, a red light casted itself along the side of Lalamon. When Lalamon was able to hover upright on her own again, Aya checked her digivice to see that her digivice underwent the same transformation. It were as red as her school notebook and the buttons were a shiny gold.

"_Lalamon_," Aya smiled. "_I look forward to learning many things with you_." Out of habit, she bowed again. Either she had already forgotten, or figured she could control her spins, Lalamon went for another mid-air bow. This time, Aya was ready and held out her hand so that Lalamon bumped her forehead gently against the palm. They both chuckled as they walked to where the boys and their digimon stood. Then, Aya noticed something. Only three digimon remained waiting to be partnered. However, five humans stood near the hut. She could tell that a few of the remaining humans figured it out as well; Megumi looked as though this were an important part of making a sports team and damn it all if she were to be picked last, while Tyson seemed anxious for them to run out of digimon so he could go home.

"_Lalamon_-," Aya realized she had only spoke in Japanese earlier out of instinct. Wanting to test a theory she had been holding onto since the forest, she switched to English. "Are there any other digimon waiting to be partnered with us?"

"Nope. We are the only digimon chosen to be partnered with the DigiDestined!" Lalamon replied with enough pep in her voice to indicate that Aya's reason for asking eluded her. She also proved Aya's theory correct.

"Kai Kinishi," Swanmon called out. "Your partner is Patamon."

Kai sprinted forward. "_This is going to be so cool! I'm so excited to have you as my partner, Patamon_." Kai ran so fast that he almost ran over the very digimon he was so excited to meet. Patamon flapped his oversized ears and flew out of the path of Kai's stomping feet. Kai looked into Patamon's eyes. To everyone watching, Kai made a lucky guess, but he would swear that the predestined bond between them could be felt in his gut. He smiled wide. "_We're going to have so much fun, Patamon!_"

Patamon was hesitant to return the expression. With his small front paws, Patamon picked up the digivice from Swanmon's extended wing, and placed it against Kai's forehead. Against Patamon's already yellow fur, Kai could not tell what color light the digivice produced. It casted the same generic light as the bulbs in his apartment. When Patamon let go, the digivice slipped down Kai's face. He caught it before it left his chin and he realized that the digivice turned pale yellow with light blue buttons.

"Protecting you is going to be a lot of work," Patamon smiled as he led the way to wait with the others.

Swanmon continued to call those fated to have a digimon. "Jaiden Myers. Your partner is-"

"No!" Tyson held onto Jaiden's shoulders. "He's too young and never agreed to this. I will not let you rope him into this nonsense." This would be the last chance he and his cousin would get to run away from being agents of destiny. Tyson figured that once the color-changing gizmo performed it's light trick, there would be nowhere left to go but forward with "saving the world". He dug his heels into the dirt, ready to take on any person or digimon. His eyes stared down all except the one person who protested his outburst. The last person he wanted to disagree with him.

Jaiden shook free of his cousin's grip and walked forward. "We've tried getting out of this," Jaiden said. Tyson moved to block his path. "I want to get this whole ordeal over with."

Tyson considered Jaiden's point; maybe the solution to getting home lied outside of the village. He turned his attention to Swanmon. "If Jaiden is going, then so am I. Partner or not, I am leaving this village with him."

He put on his serious face once again, but Swanmon chuckled. "Your devotedness to Jaiden is charming," she said. "I hope you learn to extend that to the rest of your team. Tyson Rhodes, you were also chosen to be a DigiDestined."

With the amount of time Tyson spent dreading that he would hear Swanmon call his name, feeling relieved when she did surprised him. He did not want to face any resistance to going with Jaiden.

Swanmon resumed the ceremony. "Jaiden, your partner is Gomamon," she said as she handed Jaiden a digivice. "Tyson, your partner is Elecmon." She handed him the last digivice. The two cousins were less enthusiastic about meeting their digimon than the previous four were, they stood still and let the two digimon come toward. Elecmon and Gomamon waited for the two humans to come closer. It was a standoff that showed no interest in ending.

"...Why are you just standing there?" Tyson fidgetted. He did not want to be the one that things went wrong for.

"The two of you don't seem happy to have us as partners," said Gomamon. "I was givin' you time to get comfortable."

"I agree with Gomamon," said Elecmon. "I know this is a shock, but there is no need to be hurtful. Also, I know Gomamon is too embarrassed to admit it, but, as you can tell, we are quadrupedal digimon and you two are much taller than us. Do you expect us to jump?"

Jaiden and Tyson realized how obviously shorter the digimon were. Jaiden crouched down and held out his hand like he was offering food to an animal. "I'm sure you will be a fine teammate," he said.

Gomamon made his way to Jaiden, but hovered his paw over the digivice. "For the record," he said, "I was not embarrassed." He stuck his nose in the air and laid his paw down into Jaiden's hand. Gomamon's paw was big enough to prevent any light from shining upward. Only by looking underneath could anyone make out the pink glow. Jaiden's digivice shifted to pink casing with white buttons. He grimaced at the colors and walked silently to join the other partners, Gomamon followed a few paces behind.

That left Tyson with all eyes on him, pressuring him to not mess up getting a sentient monster to place their hand onto his. How would they react if he botched this one simple task?

Not wanting to find out, Tyson followed Jaiden's example and squatted down to level with the short quadruped. Elecmon chuckled, then pushed himself off of the ground to stand on his hindlegs. He walked over to a surprised Tyson.

"You have a lot to learn about digimon," Elecmon said as he placed his paw over the digivice. Unlike the whimsical colors before him, Tyson's digivice casted a dark light. Growing up, Tyson had a nightlight that would slowly fade through all the colors of the rainbow. Every night before falling asleep, Tyson watched the gentle light paint his room every color possible. But he had never seen a black light before.

True to the precedents, his digivice changed from the original see-through model. He held a dark grey digivice with dark blue buttons. Dull and depressing, Tyson thought.

Swanmon flapped her wings in joy, her bill pulled into a smile. "This is very exciting! I have waited so long for my babies to meet their partners. Congratulations, DigiDestined. Fate has chosen you six to be the ones who will-"

"_What the hell is this? Aren't you forgetting about us?_" Everyone seemed to forget about the two girls who remained near the hut, and without digimon to call partners. Megumi was not about to let that continue. "_A village full of monsters and you can't spare two more?_"

Swanmon bowed her head. "My sincere apologies to the two of you," she said. "My instructions to foster digimon for DigiDestined come from the Celestial Digimon, who required that I raise six digimon. The babies of Primary Village are digimon who have been reborn; they must be nurtured in a safe environment before we let them out into the Digital World." She puffed out her plumes and lowered her head. "I cannot allow them to be paired up with humans who were not chosen."

With how friendly Swanmon had been, no one expected the caretaker to react with consternation. But Megumi scoffed. She thought this act of intimidation would be below sentient animals.

A voice shouted from above, severing the pressure of a looming brawl. "Da-da-da-da! Hello down there." Everyone looked upward at a pink puffball descending into the area. Being so small, it seemed far away; remaining a tiny ball regardless of closing the distance between it and Swanmon. Though not getting much larger, features of the new creature were coming into view. It was tiny, practically a head with wings and carried a spear.

"What are you doing here, Piximon?" Confused from the unexpected arrival, Swanmon forgot to end her intimidating pose.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. If this is how you greet me, then I'm not staying, nope nope!"

Swanmon composed herself and apologized.

"I'm just pulling your feathers," said Piximon. "I came to deliver a message, yep yep. Lady Ophanimon noticed a strange reading when preparing to teleport the DigiDestined to the Golden City. To avoid putting the city at risk, she sent the humans here for you to figure out what the problem was."

Swanmon looked to the two partnerless humans. "I think I know what the readings were," she said.

Megumi felt all eyes focus on her and the girl next to her. Earlier it was destiny that they were here, now an anomaly.

"They should not be in the Digital World," Jijimon said. "These two should be sent back to the Analogue World as quickly as possible."

"You dolt," Babamon said as she smacked him with her broom. "The gate is in the Golden City, which is where Lady Ophanimon kept them away from!"

Megumi heard the girl next to her shuffling uncomfortably. This situation required strength. If Megumi showed weakness, then the other side would win. She refused to be at their mercy.

"_What's your name?_" Megumi asked the girl. Aya readily translated.

"Milo Shepard," she responded.

"_Megumi Yoshiro_." Milo did not need a translation for that. Megumi returned her attention to the four digimon trying to decide what to do with them. "_What kind of leader is this Ophanimon? If Milo and I put her city at risk, then why send us to a village of babies? Seems like she only wants to protect herself_."

"Bite your tongue, lass, before I send you from this world myself!" Babamon gripped her broom tightly and pointed it at Megumi. The stitches across her mouth strained from the intense snarl she wore. Piximon looked as though Megumi were already on his last nerve. Even the digimon standing next to the rest of the humans looked offended.

"You are confused and lost," Swanmon said after taking a deep breath. "I know this is difficult, but please do not insult our Lady of Mercy. You must understand that humans in this world are anomalies in themselves. Within the Golden City lays more than the gate between worlds. Were digimon to attack it, the Celestials would defend the city until their last breath. Humans are wild cards; inside each of you is potential which we do not grasp the limitations of. If the wrong humans were to take hold of the secrets protected by the Celestials, the damage to our world would be beyond our capabilities to repair."

"Humans have done enough damage, yep yep." Piximon's tone no longer contained the vivacity from earlier.

Swanmon made her way to the two girls. She walked with calm steps and outstretched wings, like a human trying to calm a stray cat. When close enough, Swanmon touched a wing to each girl.

"Regardless," she said, "you two are in this world now. I have faith that destiny guided you here. I provided partners for the six humans I expected, but that does not mean that you cannot find your own partners on your way to the Golden City."

Megumi, still on guard, asked, "_What do you mean?_"

"The aforementioned potential that humans possess includes partnering with any digimon that they form a connection with. If the digimon reciprocates those feelings, their bond will materialize into a special digivice called a D-Power."

Not that Megumi would consider anything thus far to be sensical, but a device materializing from emotions seemed downright preposterous. When the other six partnered up, a digivice was provided and then changed colors. Perhaps Swanmon meant it were normal for digimon to carry around such objects in hopes of running into a human.

"So does that mean we can partner with more than more digimon?" Royce said. "That I can partner with any digimon?" If Royce had bothered to look at anyones face besides Swanmon, he would have seen several faces wary of him. Not that the same idea had not flicked across the minds of his fellow DigiDestined. Royce was simply the only one to speak it. Monodramon, however, looked hurt.

"Theoretically, yes," Swanmon said. "I will not put a limit on this phenomena - we have not had enough chances to understand bonding outside of what is predetermined by the Celestials. But perhaps... ," she looked down at the digimon she had raised. Swanmon could remember every moment she spent caring for them, ever since the three Celestial Digimon entrusted her with their digieggs. All these years later, those six fragile eggs have grown into Rookie level digimon ready to adventure against darkness. Swanmon could not help but smile at them. "Perhaps get to know your current partners first."

Megumi would if she had a partner. The entire situation felt like bullshit to her. She turned to reenter the hut.

"_Wait, where are you going?_" Joey called out to her, but when she ignored him he rushed to grab her arm.

"_Let go of me!_" Megumi said.

"_I know this isn't great for you, but this makes us a team now. Together we can find you "a… a…._" Joey did not know the Japanese word for "partner" in the context of "companion on an adventure through a different world". He settled for "_a friend_."

It did little to ease Megumi's tension.

"I wish you all could stay the night in Primary Village to help ease you into the situation," Swanmon said. "But I fear that haste is important. It will take days to reach the Golden City. Piximon, will you guide them to the Celestials?"

"Sorry ma'am, no can do, nope nope," the flying puffball replied. "I wasn't sent as a mere messenger. I have orders to help guard Primary Village."

Swanmon tilted her long neck to accentuate her confusion. Primary Village has been able to protect itself for hundreds of years, so having an extra guard felt redundant. Still, Swanmon surveyed the area; the Tree of Beginnings seemed as healthy as ever with the branches keeping their deep brown and the leaves a vibrant green. Indicated by the continuous pour of rainbow particles, Swanmon could tell that the barrier was still in effect.

"If this is about the two humans then your assistance is appreciated but unnecessary," Swanmon told Piximon. "That topic is concluded and they passed through the barrier, so they carry no ill-intent."

"The humans are not the reason, nope nope," Piximon said. "Lady Ophanimon is concerned that the enemy may have discovered a way to paypass the barriers ability to reject evil."

Swanmon's feathers went course as her body tightened. "The digieggs!" she yelled as though damage had already been done. With mighty flaps of her wings, Swanmon soared to check on the village.

Jijimon pointed his paw-staff in the direction of Milo and Megumi. "What did you bring with you?" Neither of the girls responded. Babamon stopped her counterpart from whatever action he might have done next.

"You dolt," she said. "They've been in front of us since landing in the Digital World. Let's go check the digieggs." She dragged him out of the clearing.

The area went silent. No one moved, no one talked, no one was sure what to do next.

"Go northwest, yep yep," came Piximon's voice. He still hovered above the clearing. "On the other side of Infinity Mountain, past Gear Savannah, is File City. Check in with Mistymon and get transportation to the Golden City, yep yep. And you two," he toggled the spear between Milo and Megumi. "Find partners on your way. The Digital World has no need for humans who will get in the way, nope nope. And from what I've heard, the threat you all face is powerful, so find powerful-"

Piximon was cut off by a loud scream and an equally loud, yet threatening, "Give them back". It was Swanmon. Piximon's message about the threat passing the barrier seemed to not be an empty lorelorn warning. He flew away toward the source of the scream.

It was obvious to Joey that he needed to help. Aided by how tiny he felt standing under a tree larger than one ever recorded on Earth, Primary Village felt large to him. Though he could not make out where the shout came from, he remembered passing through a wide field of digieggs and decided to start there.

Joey bolted past Megumi and through the hut, careful not to hit his head on the low beams. He did not check if anyone else followed him, but he heard footsteps rushing behind him. And then, the footsteps were beside him. Dorumon ran at Joey's side in a behavior that reminded him of how raptors in dinosaur movies chased prey.

Shouting came from the field up ahead. "Cut them off." "_**Hung On Death**_." "Careful around the eggs, you dolt!"

Swanmon, Jijimon, and Babamon were protecting digieggs from a walking mushroom, a frog with a large fin on its head, and the big rabbit Joey had encountered in the woods. The troublesome digimon were attempting to carry digieggs away. Each time one of the caretakers stopped them, the digimon would just pick up another one without caring what baby laid dormant inside the tough shell. Overhead, Piximon surveyed the area.

"Dorumon, stop Dracmon!" He pointed his spear to a digimon that looked like a child dressed in a cheap vampire costume. It carried a digiegg out of the field and out of sight into the collection of colorful bricks. Joey tried to plan out how to intercept the thief.

"I'm on-," Dorumon was cut off before he could take a step.

"_We're on it!_" Kai zipped past the two at full speed. His partner, Patamon, flapped it's ears wildly to maintain equal speed.

The other thieving digimon surrendered their attempt at picking up digieggs and ran out of the field empty-handed. Babamon and Jijimon chased after them, allowing Swanmon and Piximon to check why Joey and Dorumon were still standing where they were.

"Kai and Patamon are going to get the egg back," Joey explained to the two protectors. Swanmon looked around for any sign of Kai returning with the digiegg.

"I'll go check, yep yep," Piximon flew off in the general direction of Kai and Patamon.

Swanmon swiveled her head back to see the rest of the DigiDestined casually catch up to her, Joey, and Dorumon.

"This was urgent," she huffed. "Where were you all?" Swanmon took a deep breath when no one answered her. Aya and Royce carried the shoes that Joey and Kai left at the hut's grassy entrance. "Piximon was correct; the enemy has found a way to bypass our barrier. These babies are no longer safe. What's more is that even though these were Rookie level digimon, they had great endurance. And their eyes…." She could not vocalize how uncomfortable the stares from the kleptomaniacal digimon were. Vacant expressions with clouded eyes that fixated forward, regardless of surrounding commotion.

"I'm sorry we didn't stop them," Joey said.

Swanmon put on a smile. "You will grow into it. Work together and nothing can stop the DigiDestined. Now, go help Kai and then head for Ophanimon. Hurry, please!"

Back at the edge of Primary Village, Piximon picked up speed when he caught sight of Dracmon reaching the barrier line. Kai and Patamon were closing in.

"_He's almost in the woods. We'll never find him in there_," Kai said worryingly.

"Leave it to me." Patamon deeply inhaled, expanded his chest and called out: "_**Boom Bubble!**_" An orb of condensed air propelled toward the fiendish digimon, hitting it in the back and caused the digiegg to fumble from its grasp. The digiegg rolled into the bushes as the burglar ran into the woods with no indication of turning around for the lost score.

"_Whoa. That was so cool Patamon! I wanna do that too_," Kai puffed up his chest and called out "Boom Bubble" with a dramatic exhale. His human breath stayed the same. He tried again and again with the same result.

"You're so silly," Patamon giggled. "Let's look for the digiegg." Kai and Patamon searched the shrubs for the large egg. It's size made the search very short. Kai looked over the digiegg for damage. Not a scratch or dent or crack anywhere. He recognized the symbol it wore: gold wings on either side of a circle with a triangle on top. It was the same digiegg he had earlier carried from the forest.

Joey, Dorumon, and all the rest of the DigiDestined passed through the barrier behind Kai, who knelt in the dirt.

"_Did you get the egg?_" Joey asked.

Kai turned his body and extended his arms. With a pleased expression he said, "_Sure did! And look - it's the same… huh?_"

The golden glyph on the digiegg dulled into a moving barcode. Lines transitioned across the symbol exclusively, the rest of the shell stayed its original light-blue color. That is until the digiegg began to crack. Bits of the shell crumbled inward, getting pulled into a bright light at the center of the egg. With each section, the light morphed into a shape. When the last bit of shell, the symbol, got absorbed, the light faded to reveal a small digimon resembling a childish ghost drawing.

"Poyomon," it called out, bouncing it's squishy body on Kai's hands. Kai could not look away from the happy little face, it was so cute.

"Well at least it isn't lost. Let's return it to Swanmon," Joey said.

Kai nodded and started to raise himself from the dirt, but was caught off guard by several different colored particles that ascended from the ground around him. A ring of light formed on the ground; encircling him and Poyomon. From it, the rainbow lights ascended faster and faster. Kai looked at his body, expecting to find it pixelated and disintegrating as it had back at Yasaka Shrine, but he remained unchanged. The rainbow flecks aligned themselves into two hovering rings that crossed each other. Kai felt trapped. He could have slipped past the openings where the circles did not cross, but he became too nervous to move once the rings started spinning. And then enclosing. Their diameters shrunk, getting closer and closer. Kai hugged the newly-birthed Poyomon as the rings were so close that he could feel them tingling his shoulders. Still, the rings continued shrinking.

It did not hurt when the rings of rainbow shards passed through Kai's body. Instead, he felt warm and comforted as though being hugged by a friend. The feeling lasted only a second, then the rings phased out of his chest and stomach, reaching ever closer to the center between Kai and Poyomon. As the two rings of light shrunk to a few inches apart, their forms broke and reconverged into a new shape; another digivice with yellow buttons and screen-border. Except this new digive was not as compact as the one Swanmon provided and it came with a strap on top. It hovered between the two until Kai grabbed hold.

"Is that the…," Joey stammered.

"That must be the D-Power digivice that Swanmon told us about," Royce finished for him.

Kai stood up to face his team, Poyomon in one hand and his new digivice in the other. "_Guess I have two digimon now_," he said through a wide grin. "_Cool_!"


End file.
